Massive earthquake strikes off Mexico coast, setting off tsunami warnings

By Joshua Partlow September 8 at 7:29 AM
MEXICO CITY — A powerful 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coast of Mexico late Thursday night, killing at least six people and setting off tsunami warnings along the Pacific coast.

President Enrique Peña Nieto called it the biggest quake in a hundred years, even larger than the devastating 1985 tremor in Mexico City that killed thousands. He said 1 million people lost power, but electricity was soon restored for most of them.

Details on damage from remote areas were not immediately clear, raising the possiblity that the death toll could rise. The broadcaster Televisa, citing information from southern Mexico, said up to 15 people were killed. But the report could not be independently verified.

The epicenter of the earthquake was off the coast of Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico, but the rumblings rocked the Mexican capital more than 600 miles away, causing electricity failures, and reports of sporadic damage. Many Mexicans were roused from bed by the quake and evacuated their shuddering apartment buildings in pajamas and stocking feet.

source : https://www.washingtonpost.com